My Profile

Frank P

USA

Aug262011

Tour/Activity

Seattle City Hop-on Hop-off Tour

Seattle, Washington

My Rating

My Review

The Seattle Hop-on Hop-off tour was well planned to put the riders within easy walking distance of the most popular attractions from the Space Needle to the Seattle Underground and the restaurants along the water. The tour guides were friendly and knowledgeable. Altogether, this was a very good tour.

The Food and Cultural Walking Tour was one fo the best local tours I have ever been on! Caroline, our guide was knowledgeable about the area, and she knew the people we encountered on our walk. She was naturally entertaining - a wordsmith straight out of a "pun-atentiary!" Do you want to know how to tell the male eggplant from the female at the farmer's market? Do you want to know why you should care? Ask Caroline! Would you like to know how cheesemaking by-products are disposed of? Ask Caroline. There seemed to be something to entertain everyone on the tour from the teenage set to us old geezers. Great experience!

Our tour of the Colosseum and Ancient Rome was terrific. Our guide was a native Roman who told us the detailed history of the area, the emperors (and the Popes) who were responsible for what we were seeing. Her knowledge and her obvious love for her city made this a not-to-be-missed tour. Caution for those with mobility or cardiac impairment: there is a good bit of climbing involved!

Although St. Peter's was closed for a thanksgiving mass on the day of our tour, our tourguide added added time to other parts of the tour, and we felt like we received full value for our money. I would suggest getting an office with a restroom available to your customers. The "Enjoy Rome" office had none.

Andalusian Dinner and Flamenco Show in Barcelona

Barcelona, Spain

My Rating

My Review

Fantastic show! I didn't know human feet could move so fast! The food was so-so. My steak was VERY well marbled - perhaps even fatty! The sides and the wine were pretty good. The show alone rates four stars.

Our tour guide was great. He had clearly studied the area and was able to provide us with interesting bits of information about the countryside, the sights along the way, and the castles. His obvious goal was to see that we got as much from the tour as possible. This tour involves a good bit of walking and stair climbing. Wear good shoes!

This could have been an excellent tour with a different tour guide. The guide viewed himself as der Gruppenfuehrer and attempted to run the tour as an event centered around him. He started the tour by having a little tantrum because not everyone was silent while he talked. Then he proceeded to threaten to leave us if we did not return to the bus on time. He regaled us with a story of how a couple had completely wrecked a tour a few days earlier with their tardiness. Then he repeated his threats five or six more times. Otherwise, the destinations were excellent.